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IT’S 11AM ON a Friday morning at Dominic’s Community Centre in Tallaght and the weather is dreadful.
“The first wet day of the campaign,” says John Lahart, the Fianna Fáil candidate in the Dublin South West by-election, who is attending the opening of a new youth café at the community centre in Avonbeg Gardens.
Dominic’s has been operating in the community under various guises since 1978. Deirdre Cleary manages the council-owned building which offers everything from childcare to activities for elderly residents in the area. It’s open 15 hours a day most days of the week.
“We’ve had a number of candidates in our centre and that’s very important… It gives the community an opportunity to meet the candidate, to have a cup of tea, to have a chat, and air their grievances,” she tells us.
Past visitors include the Taoiseach, the President and his predecessor. Today, there’s a bevy of by-election hopefuls in attendance to press the flesh and see if they can secure a vote or two in the race to win the seat vacated by Brian Hayes last May.
Most of those present are aware there’s a by-election but there isn’t a lot of enthusiasm for it. “I’m pissed off with politics,” says Mick O’Neill from Old Bawn, citing the John McNulty/Seanad controversy of recent weeks.
“It would put me off voting. I used to be Fianna Fáil, but voted Sinn Féin last time. I’ll probably vote for them,” he adds without any enthusiasm whatsoever.
Dolores (she declined to give her second name) is from Tallaght and has had a lot of literature through her door but hasn’t read it yet. She’s looking for a candidate who is “interested in the area and will work diligently and sincerely in the area”.
The conventional wisdom is that Sinn Féin has a lock on this seat and that its candidate Cathal King will become the party’s 15th TD in the Dáil, but he’s taking nothing for granted and gives us a quick history lesson:
“Back in 2007 our candidate [now sitting TD] Seán Crowe was 33/1 on – a mad favourite – and he ended up losing his seat so I won’t be taking any of that into account,” he says.
King is wearing a pinstripe suit today. Not very Sinn Féin, we remark, but he says the wife has brought the other two to the dry cleaners.
The weather is somewhat appropriate today because according to the candidates, all people are talking about on the doorsteps is water charges.
King says he personally won’t be paying his bill and puts forward Sinn Féin’s alternative – keep Irish Water, but fund it through general taxation. But Cáit Keane, the Fine Gael candidate and sitting senator, takes issue with what King is telling people on the doorsteps.
“I always say: ‘Where are they going to get the money?’ If they want to get it by increasing taxes and ensuring self-employed people and employees pay 62 per cent… do we want to go back to the dark old days of high taxes?” she asks.
It can’t have been an easy few weeks on the doorsteps for Keane as her party’s internal struggles have been laid bare across the media in the form of ‘McNulty-gate’ but she insists people are being nice to her.
“I suppose when you’re a people’s person and you like talking to people I enjoy canvassing and people are nice,” she says.
Lahart says that ‘McNulty-gate’ is not necessarily a hot topic on the doorsteps, but argues that those who’re already “a little bit frustrated and disillusioned with the political system” have had their views reinforced by the debacle.
Of course the current frustration with the political system can be traced back to the dying days of the last Fianna Fáil government. It was here in Dublin South West where the party’s two sitting TDs, Conor Lenihan and Charlie O’Connor, both lost their seats and endured a famously torrid time on the doorsteps.
Lahart has been pleasantly surprised at the warm reception he’s been getting this time around, telling us: ”I’ve never felt as comfortable actually going to doors saying my name’s John Lahart, I’m your Fianna Fáil candidate.”
Though he lost his Dáil seat, O’Connor remains active in the community having been elected as a councillor in May. He’s here on this wet Friday morning and we catch him noting down the names of the by-election candidates who are present on a scrap of paper.
We hope he noted the late arrival of independent hopeful Ronan McMahon who at least has a decent excuse for his tardiness. He’s on crutches having torn ligaments in his foot while playing a charity match against TDs and Senators last Monday night.
McMahon, who failed to get on the Fine Gael ticket in the local elections so ran as ‘Independent Fine Gael’, is now running solely as an independent and has Sinn Féin in his sights.
“There’s nobody decent there to give them a good run for their money and I thought a good independent, a strong voice, representing another part of the constituency [would] give Cathal King a good run for his money,” he says.
McMahon, a local businessman, is against water charges and thinks it’s the wrong time to introduce them – “it’s just another stealth tax” – and he’s “crossed paths” with his former Fine Gael colleagues a few times on the campaign trail, but says it’s all amicable.
“I got a few kisses from Cait Keane alright – and a few hugs,” he laughs.
Later in the day we join the Labour candidate Pamela Kearns as she knocks on a few doors along Limekiln Drive in the Templeogue part of the constituency. She’s accompanied by former TD Liz McManus and says that a “hugely supportive” Pat Rabbitte has also been out with her in recent weeks.
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Kearns thinks there has been a much more positive reception for Labour on the doorsteps compared to May’s local and European elections, saying that voters can now see the positive economic news.
“I think the Irish people know the trouble that we’re in and they know that the best way out of it is to go with what’s working and what’s working is Joan Burton and the Labour Party and us in coalition with Fine Gael,” she says.
“Is there anything you want to ask me?” is her standard closing line on the doorsteps. Very few people answer their doors and those that do, by-and-large, admit that they haven’t given the by-election much thought.
Eileen McGrane says she’s been away, but that “there was a rake of stuff in the porch when I came back”.
“I’d like to vote for no water charges but I don’t think that’s an option,” she says, admitting she’s left worried about how much water she should be using now the meters have started to tick.
Another woman called Eileen, who doesn’t want to give her second name, says she’s voted Labour all her life – “I’m working class and that’s what you do” – but admits she’s now tempted to give Sinn Féin a chance given they’ve not been in government before.
That, in a nutshell, is the challenge facing the candidates who aren’t Cathal King in this constituency with just days to go before the vote.
The other candidates running in the Dublin South West by-election are:
TheJournal.ie is hoping to get out on the trail with other candidates before the by-election on Friday, 10 October.
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I work there. This has nothing to do with Enda Kenny or the government or hospitals in the south east. It’s simply a matter of how products perform in the markets and what’s in demand. Has been happening in this type of industry for years. It’s all about competition.
Sorry to hear to Alison. Real world economics as you point out.
This has everything to do with Kenny. I was made redundant a year ago and one of the reasons was because the government changed the percentage of redundency paid that an employer could claim back so companies panicked and let staff go. They are in front of the cameras when new jobs are announced but they do nothing for those losing their jobs.
Seamus sorry to hear you were made redundant but companys dont just make people redundant to clame relief on it the business was more than likely in alot of trouble before the government decided to alter the relief
Hold on folks…these are voluntary redundancies….no one is being forced to go…..in addition, voluntary leave normally comes with large lump sum payments well in excess of a years salary depending on the length of service, and very low tax implications and people leaving still get full social welfare payments …..these schemes can allow people move on and take up other careers, retire early or go back to study…
They are not voluntary. 206 will go. No choice there. The voluntary part is that you can nominate yourself to be one of them. If they get enough that way. It’s fine. After that its LIFO
The economy is f**ked
Really? You’d think someone would have said something????
That though first crossed my mind about five years ago now!
Another blow to the South-East. The region has been worse hit by the recession than anywhere else & now more job losses. & worse still, the government is trying to downgrade the regions hospitals & force the regions people to travel to already overcrowded hospitals in Cork & Dublin. There’s a big march in Waterford City on Sunday. There’ll be a huge crowd & the government might finally get the message that enough is enough & stop these mis-guided plans to break up the SE health boards to please vested interests in Cork & Dublin.
5 years and no improvement, what do the next 5 years hold for us ordinary working class people. Scary thought.
Think your comment sums up a lot Julie.
The march is in Saturday 2pm starting at Ballybricken in waterford city – especially important for those in south tipp as Clonmel hospital will not fare well if the south east hospital network is broken up.
I think it’s Saturday TFM.
Another silent protest that will make the news for 10 seconds.its time for the people of ireland the stand up for themselves no more silent peacefull protests
I would agree Shane. We need to go a la Francais. But you have to have unions who are not protecting a Government party on order to do so.
Yes it cant involve the unions and lets do it on a week day and cause real disruption instead of doing it on a saturday and getting a permit of the cops to do it.every town and city has goverment buildings they should be picketed and if the cops want our suppourt hopefully they wont be heavy handed.
Sorry. My mistake. Saturday at 2. Ballybricken to Mall.
They don’t have anything in their heads only meeting the targets of their EU masters. Lets cut cut cut and tax tax tax so we can keep the eu happy and hold onto our extravagant salaries, feck the reality of what we are doing, who cares we still living the boom lifestyle.
We are the little people, they don’t care about us. Enda cares more about Angela then he does about you or me simple as. Democracy is dead.
I’ve said it before…but what would u do differently? I genuinely want an answer and I’m not trying to start a fight..I feel like more could be done..but what? Taxes are bad for people but they are probably necessary, as with cuts in some instances..but honestly what else would you do? Where would u get cash to run the place?
Julie there is job losses all across europe and america .. You cant blame it all on enda and co .. We wont recover untill america& eurpoe shows recovery
For starters by not spending more than you raise in taxes. Seems fairly radical………..
Now remember I do not have an advisor worth 100,000 or so of tax payers money.
Would have defaulted on PN, Michael Taft said no consequences to defaulting on it
Would not have poured so much money into clearly failing banks
Would have demanded a write down.
Would have caped salaries of civil servants 100,000
Scrapped allowances
Reduced pensions of the likes of Bertie
Means test child benefit
Scraped property tax( people are getting nothing for that money)
Taxed wealth instead if low earners.
Put in more favourable rates for our natural resources
Locked up corrupt politicians and bankers not let them walk away with massive pensions and bonuses and hire them elsewhere
I agree with SF budget I just think it is fairer and more equal. Populist is what governments and their followers like to call it but I disagree.
As I said there has to be alternatives to something that is not working we have tried 4 years of austerity where has it got us. It doesn’t work and if it continues there is a lot more hardship and the economy has not seen the worst of things yet.
Jay funny you mention job losses in the rest of Europe and America, they both are following the monetary policy of austerity clearly not working for them.
julie so your answer to the question is that enda cause the job losses because he has an advisor and has implamented austerity and is cutting the counrties finance bill by taxes ans ==d cuts .. you must not have been here in 2007 when we went bust i suppose that was endas fault aswell how dare he do that .. governments can be blamed for alot if things but the loss of 100 jobs in tipperary surley isnt one of them … “THE MAN” cant be at fault for everything julie
Jay that is rubbish we wouldn’t be in such a bad state only for the goverment paying debt we dont own.
Enda and Co are to blame in most cases.
iswhatitis please explain how they caused this? baring in mind they were not in power when we went put and they also can force people to buy good or services from companies
They turned a gambling debt into a sovereign debt Jay.
Eamon that didnt cause the recession. The recession came first
That is going to be a big loss for all them families. 5 years this mess is running and no change for the better. We are so f****d, we need business people to get the country going not schoolteachers. Where will it all end.. disaster
Agreed..unfortunately many of the “business” people of the last 10 years are now bankrupt/ turned out to be crooks
A restructuring plan. Always used in the real world unfortunately. Never in the Public Sector.
100 jobs announced this mornin 200 lost this afternoon .. Not at all wat we want
Everyday we lose on average 42 jobs
Whats your basis for that ?
Cso calculation – over last 20 months
Ouch i didnt think it would be that much …
Strange that Abbott had a large graduate recruitment drive this year given all the job cuts they announced. Some dodgy goings on. Probably hoping to get rid of people on big contracts and bring in grads for a 1/4 of the price. It’s not right and companies doing this need to be named and shamed.
They’re process is heavily dependant on front line operators and like all big manufacturing faculties they’re trying to lean up and automate that process as much as possible. The redundancies won’t effect the engineers too much as they’re looking for 188 op’s to go
In Spain, you can buy a years supply of these products for the price of a pint.
The Abbott Vascular Clonmel facility manufactures vascular products, i.e stents and catheters. These products are used in hospitals, these products are not available over the shelf, and these products are certainly not available in Spain for less than the price of a pint.
I was in the Canaries last week, and I bought a year’s supply of catheters for a fiver. We’re being screwed in this country.
Sinead, I think you’re confusing the product made in the Abbott Clonmel facility with another entirely different type of product. The catheters made in Abbott Vascular Clonmel are vascular catheters used to treat patients with artery blockages. The people in Clonmel are making a sophisticated product, which is only marketed to hospitals, and are only used by physicians. Due to this there is no such thing as having a personal years supply.
Yeah I bought 6 months supply of pacemakers in France last week for a tenner each,… Jeez⬇
That’s what Kenny would have you believe Liam..it’s all his fault..open your eyes
They may be voluntary starting off, but if they don’t get the numbers which I don’t think they will
it will soon become compulsory,I also work there and its certainly not a years pay that’s on offer
have your say